


Celestial Bodies

by saturnbyler



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Gay, Gen, Inspired by Stranger Things (TV 2016), Jopper, LGBT, Love, Lumax, M/M, byler, highschool, stranger things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 02:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14034666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturnbyler/pseuds/saturnbyler
Summary: Mike has had a crush on Will Byers for months, and he’s tired of just being Will’s best friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One_ **

Thirty kids cram through the doors of Hawkins High School at the same time. If you listen good enough, you can over hear the conversations of the groups as you walk by. Olly and Samantha had their first kiss this summer, but that isn't the only first they had. They’d only been together since the end of sophomore year and they’re at the start of their junior. It’s the second week of school and i’ve already gathered hundreds of details about eighty percent of my classmates.

As usual, I walk down the crowded halls, listening in on all of the conversations that I can make out. I’m Mike Wheeler. I’m a people watcher. I know everything about everyone. As I reach the end of the long hallway, the same hallway that I’ve walked down since freshman year, I notice Will Byers standing at his locker, cramming books into it while muttering something that I can’t understand.

Will Byers is sixteen. He isn’t tall, but he isn’t short. He has gotten a haircut since last year. His hair is shorter than before, but still in the same style it has always been. Will is my best friend. But God I want him to be something more. We are almost always together. But Will is still so shy, and he isn’t too fond of sharing every detail of his life, so it’s hard for me to gather information about him. Even though he is my best friend in the whole world, I only know little things, like his favorite planet, his favorite star, his favorite color, but nothing too major.

“Hey, Byers! Long time no see!” It hadn’t been long since we’d seen each other. I stand behind Will watching him struggle with his books and then continued with my sentence, “Do you need help? Here I’ll help you.” I stood closer to Will, helping him put everything into his locker. “T-Thanks, Mike.” He stutters, nervously, trying to get his words out. I feel like I make Will nervous. Very nervous.

Will grabs his bag from his locker, closing it gently. He turns, smiling at me. I love when he smiles. He stares at me for a few quick seconds and then looks away from me, walking in the opposite direction without saying another word. “Wait! Byers!” I call out after Will, but he doesn’t turn and acknowledge me. I sigh and turn in the opposite direction walking farther and farther away from Will.

The dismissal bell rings to go home and I am in my usual spot leaning against the wall near the science room doing what I usually do, people watching. Sometimes I thinks it’s weird for me to do it but I always continue. I listen, watching silently, observing until only a handful of people are left inside of the school.

Natalie made an 85 on her math test and she’s hanging out with Sandra after school at the arcade.

I grab my books off of the floor and head out the door. My group of friends are standing by the picnic table, but I walk past them and continue my walk home.

Lucas and Dustin and Max called my name but I just left. Was that rude?

Sometimes I get jealous of all of the relationships that take place inside of Hawkins High School. I have only been in one relationship. With El. But that relationship ended before it even started. Maybe I just love the idea of having a relationship, but I definitely don’t love the idea of having a relationship with a girl. And I don’t know why I feel that way, because the idea that boys kiss girls and girls kiss boys has been burned into my brain for as long as I can remember, so why the hell do I want to kiss boys?

Tyler and Justin kissed in the gym after last years homecoming dance. Everyone and their mothers knew about it. And no one can know about me.

I walk towards my house, taking in every single detail of the walk. The reactions of my classmates when Tyler and Justin kissed at the homecoming dance replayed in my mind over and over and over. Everyone was so fucking judgemental. And it makes me wonder how I’m ever supposed to kiss boys.

 _(you guys are disgusting)_  
_(boys aren’t supposed to kiss boys)_  
_(freak)_

I saw Tyler in town a few weeks ago, that was the first time that I had seen him since he had moved. Tyler is the same age as me and I used to have classes with Tyler, but we have never really spoken. I have always wanted to talk to Tyler however, and ask him how the hell I was supposed to be happy being myself if I couldn’t even be myself for 5 seconds without 15 assholes giving me opinions that I didn’t ask for. I walk right past the corner store where I could see Tyler through the window counting change and continue walking the same road I have walked for over 10 years.

I’m almost home, and my heart starts to beat faster. and faster. and faster. I dread coming home because my family is so fucked up. Nancy is always with Jonathan so that leaves me alone with my mom, dad, and younger sister Holly. My mom and dad seem like they hate each other, but that’s not gonna change so I have gotten used to it. I guess my life isn’t so bad, but I’m not too fond of it regardless.

The night grows darker and all that I can think about is Will. I know that Will doesn’t like me. Because he probably isn’t gay and if he is, he’s definitely not into me. That’s why I’m always so shy around him, because I like him. A lot. And I know it’s not good to have a crush on your best friend, but I can’t shake the feelings that I have about him.

I walk over to my stereo and press play. My favorite song blares through the speakers.

“everything’s good, everything’s just as it should be when you’re alone with me.”

Without realizing it, I’m dancing around my room singing to the song. I feel so fucking happy when I’m alone. I stop dancing and continue humming the song. I go over to the window, looking up and counting the stars. The same stars that Will is looking up at, hopefully. Hopefully Will enjoys the stars just as much as I do.

I put Holly to sleep and climb the carpeted stairs to my bedroom. I close the window, and get under the blankets on my bed. I know that Will likes stars, because he’s told me before. I just think that I like them a lot more. But when we talked about space months ago, he told me that his favorite was Arcturus. And his favorite planet is Saturn. I just listened as he spoke.

We aren’t together physically. But God, I can imagine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twitter!! @SIMONGREENFELD


	2. Chapter Two

Rain pours down on the roof of my house. Thunder shakes the windows and the wind outside is terrifying, but I'm not afraid. Ever since I was little I have always found comfort in storms. I get out of bed, humming along with the rain to every song i’ve ever listened to. The ones that remind me of him.

A few hours pass by and the storm has calmed. It is Saturday, September 6th. I write down in my journal.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta do something terrifying to get a beautiful ending. I wanna tell him that I like him. So bad. But it’s so terrifying. And I don’t wanna fuck this up. I don’t want him to think I’m a fucking weirdo.”  
mw

With every single entry that I leave on the red lined page with my black pen, I write singular words. Words that describe how I feels, words that are important. The words have been the same for months. All correlating to Will.

They all relate to the boy that I have liked for months.

I call through the house letting my family know that I won’t be home until dinner. I grab my jacket and leave, heading towards Will’s house. A small piece of a song that I heard keeps playing through my mind. over and over and over again.

“Like a telescope, I will pull you so close, 'til no space lies in between.”

  
The rest of the lyrics play in my head until I arrive at Wills house. I am greeted by Joyce Byers, Will's mother. Jonathan is probably off with Nancy.

“Hello Ms. Byers! Where’s Will?”   
“Hello Mike! Will was just talking about you,”

_(what was he saying?)_

“He’s in his room.” Joyce says and moves away from the door. I walk slowly to the back of the house and turn into Will’s room, and I stand in the doorway. “Hey Byers! Long time no see.” I call out the familiar phrase, smiling wide as I spoke. Will laughs. “We saw each other yesterday, weirdo.”

  
“Well, pretty boy, you didn’t talk much. It’s like I didn’t see you at all!” I call him that as a joke, well he thinks it’s a joke. And it used to be. But I really do think he is pretty. I walk over to Will’s bed and I sit down beside him. Will is looking at a book of stars.

_(typical)_  
(arcturus)  
(does he even know of any others?)

“Did you know that Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes, the fourth-brightest in the night sky, and the brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere?” I think Will is the prettiest boy in the world. Prettier than any star in the universe.

“Yes, of course I did, Byers! You know me, I love stars.” I push him playfully.

Will turns his head away from me for a second before looking back at me and smiling the same shy smile that I have always thought was so beautiful.

“I don’t remember if you told me, but what is your favorite star?” Will stutters, but not much. He closes the book and turns to face me completely. Crossing his legs and resting his face in his small hands.

“My favorite is Alnitak. Do you like that one?” I say to him. He lights up whenever he talks about things that he is passionate about. And I can tell that he is passionate about stars.   
  
Will responds with a big smile on his face, but mid response his wide smile fades completely.

“Mhm, I like pretty much every star. I don’t know, I probably sound so geeky and annoying, sorry. I’ve just loved stars since I was little.”

“Nope, you’re not geeky or annoying. You’re cute, y’know when you talk about stars?” I respond back tracing the scar on my arm. I’m pretty much accident prone, and I have a lot of scars. This one is from a bicycle wreck in 8th grade. I had to get twelve stitches.

“Did you just call me… cute?” Will says laughing. I love when Will laughs. I think that Will is the prettiest boy in the world when he laughs.

“Twas a joke! Got a problem with it, pretty boy?” It wasn’t a joke. I playfully push Will, looking into his eyes but quickly looking away, because boys don’t like boys. And I like him. So much.

“No, I guess not,” Will giggles softly and starts again, “Hey, Mike?”

My stomach turns in knots.

“What’s the matter, Byers?” I say confidently, though I’m not very confident at all. Not even a little.

“Can I tell you something?” He says, his voice is shaking and eye contact doesn’t exist in our part of this universe.

Oh my God. Oh… my… God. My stomach hurts. The knots are far too twisted by now. Like someone has continuously pulled on them instead of untying the knots. And now I can’t untie them.

“Uh, yeah. You can tell me anything. You’re my best friend.”

But I don’t just wanna be his best friend.

“How do I say this without you hating me? God, I don’t want you to hate me. You’re my… best friend.”

But I don’t just want to be your best friend Will Byers.

“Promise me that you won’t hate me, Mike.” Will falls back onto the bed covering his face with his hands, letting out a long sigh.

“Oh, Byers! You know I could never hate you!” I say to him, because it’s true. How could you ever hate a boy as precious as him?

“I’m just gonna say it, okay? You don’t have to say anything back. You can leave if you want. It’ll be okay, if you do.” Will is stalling.

“Oh for christ’s sake! Just say it already!” I am laying beside Will, facing his body. Will is looking at the ceiling.

“I… I like boys, Mike. I know I probably just ruined this friendship, and you probably think I’m a fucking freak. But I can’t keep it in anymore. It’s eating at me. Eating me alive.”

Will turned over on his side. His beautiful face is no longer visible to me.

“Will.” My curls bounce as I sit up on the bed.

“I said you didn’t have to say anything.” Will hasn’t turned to face me yet, and he probably won’t. I don’t blame him.

“No, Will. Nothing’s gonna change. Why would it?”

“Because I’m— gay. Why would you want to be friends with me after that?”

I don’t wanna be friends.

“Do ya wanna know something, Byers? Like a BIG secret. I never thought I’d tell anyone. I’ll make an exception for you… my best friend.” I say. I figure it’s safe to tell him now.

“Sure, I guess so.” Will sits up on the bed, still directing his gaze anywhere but on me.

“I don’t like to kiss girls, Will. You see, boys kiss girls and girls kiss boys. Blah Blah Blah. Those are the rules. But you know what, Byers?”

Will finally turns his body towards me. He looks at me. His legs are pulled to his chest and he is picking at his nails.

“Hm?”

I crack a smile and begin, “What good are rules if you don’t follow them?” Will is staring at me now. He looks more relaxed. And I continue “I don’t like following them. Fuck the rules, Byers.”

We stare at each other for what seems like a lifetime.

Joyce knocks on the door and we look in her direction.

“Hey Mike! You staying for dinner?”

“Sure. Thanks Ms. Byers.”

Joyce closes the door. We smile at each other and follow her footsteps into the dining room. 


	3. Chapter Three

Will and I join Joyce at the table. I can’t stop looking at him. God he’s so beautiful. Joyce is trying to start conversations but I am too focused on him.

Dinner is quick, and as soon as it’s over Will pulls me by the hand. We’re holding hands, in a way. My hand is in his. We are fucking holding hands.

“Woah Byers! Already making moves?” I joke. I love holding hands with Will. His hands are soft.

“Shut up Mike. Come on!” Will let’s go of my hand. I run behind him and soon enough we are standing in front of Castle Byers.

“Castle Byers. I haven’t been here in years.” I say. The last time I was here was our freshman year.

“I come here a lot. To think.” Will pushes back the sheet and ducks, entering the fort he had made years ago.

“To think about what?”

There is a lingering silence. But it’s not uncomfortable. I look at him like he’s the entire universe and more, finding comfort in his silence.

He’s the most beautiful boy in the world.

“Well, do you want the whole truth or the half truth?”

“The whole truth.” I say.

“A boy, mostly. But I think abo-”

“Byers! Who’s the boy?” God how I want it to be me.

I think about Will Byers all of the damn time. Does he think about me too?

Will takes a deep sigh.

“Just kidding, the whole truth isn’t an option. I’m not telling you.” He laughs.

“What’s he like?” I think that maybe if I press Will enough for answers I will receive them.

“Well, um.” Will pauses. “He reminds me of the ocean, because I barely know anything about him. But, the parts of him that I do know are so beautiful. And— I know this sounds dumb. Sorry.”

“Stop saying you sound dumb. You don’t. He sounds great. Does he like boys, too?”

“Yeah, He does.” Will smiles.

“Then tell him Byers!” I sit up quickly. I grab Wills arm and pull him out of the fort. “Look up.” I say softly.

The night is clear. Stars are very visible across the dark blue skies. And we both look up at the stars.

I think he’s more beautiful than arcturus or saturn or any celestial body in the entire universe. I like him so much. So goddamn much.

“Who knows, Byers. What if he likes you?” We sit in the grass. Our hands aren’t even an inch from each other and I am staring at him.

“I know. But I don’t wanna mess things up.”

“Take chances! But you have no choice, you’re telling me who it is. I’m your best friend.”

And once again, I don’t want to be his best friend.

“No! I can’t!”

“Well, do you wanna know who I like?” I say. We are both staring at each other now. And I’m either about to fuck things up or make the best decision of my life.

“Well… Yeah.”

“Okay then. Here’s an idea. On the count of three we both say who we like. You down?” I suggest.

“Sure.”

“Okay, 1...2...3.”

At the same time, we both blurt out “you.”

Will Byers likes me. Oh my FUCKING God.

We sit there, silently staring at each other underneath the stars. It seems like we are at a loss for words, but I have so much to say. It’s hard to tell the difference between reality and the movie screen, because this is all too good to be true. But it is true.

“I…” Will looks up at the sky and then down. “Wanna know what I think of you?”

“Oh Byers, no time to tell me all of my flaws!” I wink. Kidding.

Will is no longer smiling his same shy smile, his teeth are visible and his smile lines are apparent around the corners of his mouth.

“I think you’re more beautiful than arcturus or saturn or any celestial body in the entire universe.”

Oh my God.

He looks away and now I am looking at him like he is the entire universe. And more. Because he is the entire universe and more. So much more.

“Ditto, Byers.” I smile at him.

We lay on the grass for what seems like hours, hand in hand, fingers interlaced. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter sorry! the next chapter will be longer!! follow me on twitter @SlMOMGREENFELD (the i is a lowercase L lmao)

The night was coming to an end and if I didn’t get home soon, my mom would be upset. I unlace  
my fingers from his and I sit up, as does Will.

“See ya, pretty boy.” I say, patting Will on the back. He smiles and I stand up.

“Bye, Mike. See ya.” Will’s face has turned a bright red and a smile is permanently plastered across his face. He watches as I walk back through the woods towards my home. I can feel him watching me.

I talked to myself the whole way home. All about Will.   
We held hands. We fucking held hands. I can’t believe what just happened.

  
It’s Monday and I make sure I look my best. For Will.

The bell rings. I rush out of my math class. I don’t try to make small talk with any of my friends or classmates. I quickly walk down the hall quietly to my next class. Will is in that class.

Mr. Hanson was stressed out today. I don’t know why, but I don’t care. All I care about is how long I can stare at Will before Mr. Hanson gets mad at me for not listening. And soon enough, he does, and I redirect my attention to the front of the room instead of on the pretty boy.

Once again, the bell rings and I wait on Will.

“Hey, pretty boy.” I say to Will. Everyone has left the classroom, eager to get home, or to whatever plans they had on a Monday.

“I love catching you looking at me.”

Fuck. I can feel my face turn red and I start to laugh.

“Come over today?” I’m looking out of the window and whistling a familiar song. Will puts his fingers in my hair, twisting my curls around his fingertips.

“I mean I’ll have to check my schedule, you know how it is, Wheeler.” He takes his hand out of my hair and grabs my hand.

“Hm, you’re busy? That sucks.”

Will and I go back and forth for a few seconds and then release each other’s hands. We walk out of the classroom and start to walk towards my house.

It’s unusually hot for September. And it’s not just hot, it’s unbearably humid.

“Fuck, Byers! It’s hot as hell out here!”

We are walking down a dirt road and then eventually we turn into the woods.

“Where are we going?” I ask. Will is pulling me by the hand. I haven’t ever been walking this way.

“You’ll see.” He says.

We’re walking through the middle of the woods, and I feel invincible because I know that if I wanted to kiss him I could, because no one is around to see us. Not that I wouldn’t kiss him in front of anyone, because I so would. Sometimes you have to do something terrifying to get something beautiful. And I’d do the most terrifying thing if that meant that I’d be able to show him off.

I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Ever.

“We’re here.” Will sits down on a rock in front of a clear, fast moving stream and I sit down beside him.

And being with him is the most magical thing I think I’ve ever experienced. He doesn’t even have to say anything. I just feel so fucking safe with him. I grab his hand, and intertwine my fingers with his, and he lays his head on my shoulder. And I have never felt so many fucking butterflies and sparks and chemistry in one space. Until now.

 


End file.
